Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Tuesday criticised the Congress for “instigating violence” in Madhya Pradesh but refused to comment on whether loans for farmers would be waived in that state. “You have not seen videos where three Congress MLAs instigated violence in Madhya Pradesh. They incited people to set fire to a police station.

“When it comes to the issue of farmers, they should not indulge in politics. On one hand, they are instigating violence and on the other they are adding fuel to the fire. This is very unfortunate,” the minister said on the sidelines of an event in Kolkata.

The Union minister was in the city to take part in ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas Sammelan’ which was organised by Airport Authority of India at Nazrul Mancha. “The party (Congress) and the family (Gandhi family) which has ruled the country for more than 60 years is talking about welfare of farmers?…Rahul Gandhi is expressing solidarity with farmers. Where was he when farmers were deprived of basic amenities for irrigation?” PTI quoted Singh as saying.

When asked if farm loans would be waived in Madhya Pradesh, the minister refused to comment. The minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi after assuming office has always worked to reduce the prices of essentials required by farmers for their agricultural purpose. “He (the PM) has done that to reduce the production cost of agricultural produce. The government has also introduced various schemes for farmers to increase their earnings,” he added.

During his speech at the event, Singh said that Bihar and West Bengal are not implementing the agri-programmes properly. “A large number of farmers in Bihar and West Bengal are not getting the benefits of agri-programmes because the state governments are not implementing them properly,” he said. BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain and state party Pesident Dilip Ghosh were also present at the event.